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JANUARY 1, 2020
Notice to all Tribal members on the Tribal
Supplemental Security & Disability Income &
Medicare Part “B” Reimbursement Programs:
It’s getting to be that time of year again. Time to submit a copy
of your 2020 benefit award letter from the Social Security Admin-
istration (SSA) so that we can update your file and confirm your
eligibility status in our programs. If you haven’t received your 2020
benefit award status letter from the SSA, you can request a copy
be calling the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or go online at www.ssa.gov.
Your current award benefit statement must be received in our
office by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, to avoid any future delays
in your benefits.
Note: It is the responsibility of the Tribal member to notify the
Tribe of any changes in your benefits from the Social Security Ad-
ministration SSI/SSD program. Failure to notify the Tribe may
result in an obligation to repay ineligible benefits received and/
or interrupt or delay your Tribal Supplemental Security Income
and Disability payments or Medicare Part “B” reimbursements.
Please mail copies of your benefit award statement to:
CTGR Member Services
ATTN: Shannon A. Simi
9615 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, OR 97347
You also may fax your copy to 503-879-2480 or e-mail them to
Shannon.simi@grandronde.org
If you have any questions and/or concerns, contact Shannon A.
Simi at 503-879-1358 or 1-800-422-0232, ext. 1358.
WALK-IN DENTAL APPOI NTMENTS FOR KIDS <6
NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY FOR DENTAL CHECK-UPS FOR KIDS 5 AND
UNDER WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO BE SEEN AT THE TRIBAL CLINIC.
JUST COME ON IN!
We will check your child’s teeth during any of our clinic hours without an ap-
pointment. Dental check-ups are recommended beginning with the first
tooth!
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Dental Clinic
Phone 503-879-2020
Hours: Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri 8:00—5:00; Thur 9:30-5:30
CTGR 1EROA11nounceme11
Traffic Control Fbgger
Training Certificati_o_n��--·-�-
When:
Thursday, February 13th,
2020
Where:
Employment Services
Center in Training
Rooms A & B
Time: 9 a.m. to 5p.m.
Registation is limited to 25
No cost for enrolled Tribal members from federally recognized Tribes and $90 for
non-Tribal members
Register with the TERO office by calling 503-879-2188 or
Email - TERO@grandronde.org
5
WIC visits Community
Center on monthly basis
Pregnant? Breastfeeding? Does your family include a child under the
age of 5?
If so, you may qualify for the Women, Infants and Children program.
With WIC, people can receive answers to nutritional questions and access
fruits and vegetables, whole grains, eggs, milk, cheese, juice, cereal and
more.
A WIC representative visits the Tribal Community Center on the third
Tuesday of the month, which will be Jan. 21.
Walk-ins are welcome between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 503-879-2034.
‘Treating the whole
person is emphasized’
HEALTH continued
from front page
knowledge.”
Suiter applied for the position
after earning her master’s degree in
public health from the University
of Arizona in Tucson.
“I’ve always been interested in
working for a Tribe and this po-
sition is ideal to me,” Suiter says.
“Treating the whole person is em-
phasized.”
A native Oregonian, Suiter grew
up attending powwows because her
father’s side of the family is from
the Comanche Tribe.
She graduated from South Eu-
gene High School in 1997 and
earned a bachelor of arts degree in
English and psychology from the
University of Oregon in 2004. She
is a first-generation college student,
although her mother eventually
earned a Ph.D. while Suiter was
in her 30s.
For more than 10 years, she
worked in outpatient behavioral
health services in Lane County as
an administrator, with a primary
focus on supporting efforts to inte-
grate behavioral health into prima-
ry care by having those services in
the same office.
After moving to Tucson in 2016
to pursue her master’s degree,
Suiter worked as a consultant for
a private company that contracted
with Indian Health Service and the
Bureau of Indian Affairs to assess
how to design their medical clinics
to improve care.
Most recently, she lived in Bend
and worked on two projects with
Deschutes County as part of an
internship. Those included a com-
munity health needs assessment
and creating a health education
program for individuals with se-
vere mental illnesses and chronic
diseases such as diabetes.
As the Grand Ronde Tribe’s new
Behavioral Health administrator,
Suiter says she is hoping to learn
extensively about the Health &
Wellness Center’s goals for 2020.
“I know they currently have a
medication-assisted treatment
program and I have been working
with that staff to integrate Behav-
ioral Health,” she says. “Given my
personal interest in the topic, I’m
hoping we can integrate Medical,
Dental and Behavioral Health to
make it more multi-disciplinary.
Also, I want to bridge gaps to make
sure we serve the community to the
best of our ability.”
In the future, Suiter says she
would like to see more Behavioral
Health therapists and integrate
peer services.
“Peer services are having some-
one in recovery who has had life
experiences and can work and
relate with what people have gone
through,” she says.
Suiter lives in Lincoln City with
her husband, Jeff, and two dogs:
Spencer, an Italian greyhound, and
Sadie, a whippet. In her spare time,
she enjoys training for triathlons
and is a sponsored member of Team
Zoot.
Elder pleads guilty
to theft of Tribal funds
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Former Elders Committee Treasurer Julie Ann Little pleaded guilty
to two felony counts of theft from the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde in Polk County Circuit Court on Thursday, Dec. 19.
Little, 64, was indicted in October on the two counts for allegedly
taking more than $1,000 on two occasions from the Elders’ fund ac-
count at First Federal Savings & Loan between March and July of
2019. The money was raised from bingo, bake sales and fundraisers
that were sponsored by the Elders Activity Center.
Pro Tem Judge Diane M. Morse sentenced Little to 24 months of
supervised probation, ordered her to perform 120 hours of community
service, and ordered her to pay $2,898.72 in restitution to the Tribe
and a $100 fine to the court.
According to Polk County Circuit Court, she paid her restitution
and fine in total after her sentencing.
She was represented by Salem attorney Arthur B. Cummins Jr.